OT; Tesla's Model 3 to Cost $35K in March, But Production Still 2 Years Away
Papi_Chulo
Miami, FL (or the nearest big-booty club)
Tesla's long-awaited mass-market car, the Model 3, now has a price and debut plan courtesy of the company's founder, Elon Musk, who posted the details to Twitter on Wednesday.
Model 3, our smaller and lower cost sedan will start production in about 2 years. Fully operational Gigafactory needed.
$35k price, unveil in March, preorders start then.
The $35,000 price is just what was expected, and Tesla is well known for unveiling its cars well before they are available to buy. Still, it will likely disappoint many that a cheaper Tesla won't arrive until 2017 at the very earliest.
What's taking so long, you ask? Right now, the batteries that would power the Model 3 would cost about as much as the car is slated to. Tesla is building an enormous lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Nevada to make its own batteries for far less money — the "Gigafactory" mentioned in Musk's tweet.
Not much more can be revealed about the Model 3 except that, as Musk mentioned cryptically during a Q&A session on Reddit, "It won't look like other cars." What does that mean, exactly? We'll find out in March.
In the meantime, you can order yourself a new Model X — if you have the cash. The entry level model will cost around $5,000 more than a Model S with the same options, Musk wrote in yet another tweet — though you can easily spend well into the six figure range for the "Signature" high-end series.
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18 comments
Yeah I keep dipping into my Tesla funds as well.
Just read today that with prices dropping faster than expected for lithium ion batteries, electric cars could become cost competitive sooner than expected. With recent discoveries that quadrupole lithuium ion battery life and new discoveries in creating cheap hydrogen, we will likely have choices of clean fuel cars in the future. I saw a smart phone that had a hydrogen fuel cell added to it that made the battery last 6 days before needing a charge. still too expensive for ordinary smart phones though.
http://www.electronicproducts.com/Power_…
I forgot or didn't find the links for the research accident that quadrupled lithium ion battery life and the link for a discovery for making hydrogen cheap.
now we just need a cheap means of desalinating water to supply California and other areas around the world.
http://www.electronicproducts.com/Power_…
http://www.cardotcom.com/photos/cars01/2…
Gas is cheap, but Toyota still betting on hydrogen
With the average price for a gallon of gasoline falling below $2.50, it may seem like a strange time to introduce a vehicle powered by hydrogen.
But for Craig Scott, one of the executives leading the development of Toyota's all-new Mirai, launching a fuel-efficient car during a period of low energy prices is nothing new.
More than a decade ago, Scott served on the team that launched the gas-electric hybrid Prius, which later went on to become the best-selling hybrid. Now, despite gasoline once again being cheap, Scott remains confident that the environmentally friendly Mirai will get plenty of interest.
"When we launched Prius [in the U.S.] back in 2001, gas was about $1 a gallon, which was pretty tough for a car that is fuel efficient," he said. "The same thing is true for Mirai. In California, gas is $3.50 a gallon which makes it tough, but these things are cyclical."
The Mirai is the auto industry's latest push to make hydrogen fuel cell vehicles more than just a concept. The car can go 312 miles on a full tank of hydrogen, and looks and drives like most other new sedans. In other words, it's smooth, comfortable, and—most important to early adopters—clean-burning. The only emission is water vapor.
California, known for its strict vehicle emission requirements, will be the first state to roll out the Mirai next month. The Golden State is home to 10 of the 12 public hydrogen refueling stations in America, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Although other refueling stations are in the works, this lack of infrastructure has been a source of frustration for some of those already driving a hydrogen-powered car and a point of criticism for skeptics.
"If I didn't live close to the stations I wouldn't be a happy person," said Paul Berkman, from Corona del Mar, California. Berkman owns a hydrogen-powered Hyundai Tuscon SUV.
"That's the only reason I chose this [car]," he said. "I have three alternatives within a two- to three-mile radius. If there was only one I might maybe think twice about it."
Another issue with hydrogen-powered cars is that the current refueling stations take a long time to fill up a vehicle.
"I was surprised," Berkman said. "It's not a three-minute fill, it's about a half hour."
Skeptics have long had doubted whether hydrogen-powered vehicles will ever catch on. This year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk called the idea of them silly.
"It is just very difficult to make hydrogen, store it and use it in a car," he said.
Still, Toyota remains confident that the Mirai, which will start at about $58,000, will eventually gain traction in California. To sweeten the deal, the automaker will pay for three years' worth of hydrogen fuel.
Toyota said it has already heard from about 1,000 people interested in receiving more information about the hydrogen-powered car, and said it expects to sell 3,000 over the next three years. That compares to more than 41,000 Prius models being sold in the U.S. in its first three years.
"It's the opportunity to drive a zero-emission vehicle without compromise," Scott said. "That's what's drawing people to it."
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/02/gas-is-ch…
Just think, never having to buy gas again? I know gas is cheap compared to what it used to be but damn, not spending $60 to fill up my SUV would be great!
But there is nothing else around there. So if you need lodging somewhere, the closest choice is three miles away, the Mustang Ranch. Maybe Tesla will want to set up some kind of a deal with them?
https://sites.google.com/site/sjgportal/…
SJG
Weather Report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIlHVFTj…